"Big brother! Big brother! Come on!"
I laugh as I let Kunou drag me around with her little hand. I can see Yasaka also chuckle at her daughter's behavior. It has been a week since the chancellor asked me to join the tournament, and now it is my free time.
Yasaka asked me to have some family time with her and Kunou. Of course, I accept it. So here I am, getting dragged by Kunou to her favorite place, the food area. She is a little bit gluttonous and likes to eat all kinds of food.
Her favorite food is Tonkotsu Ramen and Cheese Cake.
Because Kunou is doing great at her school, Yasaka lets her eat anything she wants just for today. So she took us to her favorite ramen shop in Kyoto.
"Welcome! Oh! Lady Kunou! Lady Yasaka! And Sir Ryan!"
Right. After the Orochi incident, the people in Kyoto knew about me and started to call me sir or young master. It takes time to get used to it.
"Old man! One Tonkotsu Ramen, please!"
I chuckle a little when I see Yasaka pinch Kunou's cheek.
"You need to show respect to your elder, Kunou. Also, watch your words."
"But I said please!"
"But you start it with the word 'old man.'"
I chuckle and sit on the right of Kunou while Yasaka takes the left. I look at the menu and say.
"Can I get Miso Ramen with extra meat and a chilled beer?"
"Coming right up!"
I look at Yasaka and say.
"What about you, Yasaka?"
"I will take Shoyu Ramen with an extra egg and make it spicy."
"Of course, Lady Yasaka!"
While waiting for our food, Yasaka looks at me and says,
"How is your preparation for the tournament, Ryan?"
"It is doing great. The instructor knows what they are talking about. At the moment, we are doing daily sparring with the other contestants."
"Really? Who are they?"
"Konuma Shigeru, he is a Kappa."
"Ah, I know him. He participated last year as well. This should be his last chance to win the tournament. Did you know that the Konuma Family is the greatest user of Youjutsu?"
"Really? Then why does Shigeru use a spear?"
Shigeru is a great spearman. He moves very fast, and he uses his spear range to the maximum. If my Breathing Style mimics the element, his fighting style mimics animals. All in all, he is a great fighter.
"I don't know. That old turtle says something about going on another path than the rest of his family. His family did not like him using a spear, but after he got into the Semi-Final, they already accepted him using the spear."
"Oh? He reached the Semi-Final last year, huh?"
"Yup. Sadly, Tokyo won last year, and that bastard has a smug expression every month."
That bastard? Wait. Tokyo is in the Kanto Region, right? That means Nurarihyon is the leader of that area. The bastard Yasaka talking about is Nurarihyon, the leader of the Eastern Youkai Faction.
"Anyway, what about the other one? There are three participants for each college, right?"
"The other one is Kil Se-Ah, she is a Dokkaebi."
"Oh! Dokkaebi! They are a formidable race. Which one is she? Red or Blue?"
"Blue."
Dokkaebi is a race that is like Oni. Just like Oni, they are a race that is built for battle. Even the weakest Dokkaebi can beat the shit out of human fighters if they underestimate them. Just like Oni, they are divided into two types.
Red or Blue.
It is not their skin color or anything. Red is when Dokkaebi and Oni have great physical prowess. They are the ones using weapons that let them fight the enemy head-on. Blue is when Dokkaebi and Oni have great magical prowess. They are the magicians of this race.
"Blue, huh? Wait. That means you will be their support. That old turtle has a habit of sending a balanced team into a fight. He did not like sending a team that focused on offense."
I smile and say.
"Yup. I will be their support for this tournament."
"Hah! I cannot wait to see people's faces when they see a support member can fight better than their fighter."
I smirk and say.
"The Chancellor also says the same thing."
"And it will happen earlier than he thought it would."
"Huh? What do you mean, Yasaka?"
"Ah! I'm sorry, Ryan. However, I cannot say that. I give an oath not to tell anyone about the tournament, but I can say that it will be very different from what that old turtle prepares you for."
"Should I worry about it?"
"Nah, you did not need to worry about it. You can know it. I know you can win this tournament."
I am about to say something but stop when three bowls of ramen arrive in front of us. I look at the owner and see him grinning.
"Here you go! Enjoy your food!"
Oh, well. We can talk about it later. For now, food.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|3rd POV|
A red-haired young woman looks out of the window and releases a tired sigh. This young woman is Rias Gremory, the Heiress to the Gremory Family. She is worried for her family that stays in the underworld. The pandemic is still happening in the underworld, and she cannot go back to the underworld because her parents forbid her from coming back.
Sona and Rias cannot go back to the underworld because their parents are afraid of them getting infected. Lucky for them, their family is safe, and even when they get infected, their family is rich enough to buy the ingredients for the potions.
"Haaa… I want to go home~"
Rias releases a sigh and throws her body on her bed. She looks at the ceiling of her room and sighs once again. She snaps from her thoughts when the door to her room opens up, and she can see her Queen, Akeno Himejima, walk inside.
"Fufufu~ going naked once again, Rias?"
"Shut up, you! You know that I do not like wearing clothes when I'm inside my bedroom."
"Fufufufu~ Even though you are still in school?"
Rias throws a pillow at Akeno, who easily catches it.
They are currently in the old building of Kuoh Academy and their base of operation. Rias already modified the building to fit her preference, which means a room just for herself and the items that she bought from across Japan.
"Anyway! What is it, Akeno? I already said that I did not want to get disturbed unless there is something important."
"It is something important, Rias."
"What is it?"
"Issei Hyoudou agrees with the Fallen Angel's request, and they are now going on a 'date.'"